Impact
Catalyze 2025: Mike Sutton (Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside)

We’re asking thought leaders, business people and creatives to talk about the upcoming new year and give us catalyzing ideas for making St. Pete a better place to live. What should our city look like? What are their hopes, their plans, their problem-solving ideas? This is Catalyze 2025.
2024 was a banner year for our local Habitat for Humanity affiliate, which completed its 900th home build, expanded into Hernando County and subsequently changed its name and branding to Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, reflecting its newly extended reach.
When it comes to maintaining its status as one of the highest-producing Habitat affiliates in the country, President and CEO Mike Sutton said Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside is poised for a landmark year in 2025, with major milestones and initiatives that underscore the nonprofit’s commitment to addressing the region’s affordable housing crisis.
“We see such a significant need for housing, and we want to do the most we can year-over-year to help families in our community,” Sutton said. “The community continues to do a phenomenal job of wrapping their arms around us and supporting us, and we need that support now more than we ever have in order to continue to serve families and find ways to do more.”
Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside has consistently ranked among the highest-producing Habitat affiliates in the country, completing a record 81 homes in 2024. This achievement builds on their previous record of 73 homes in 2023.

The Jones Family celebrates their new home in Largo, the 900th built by Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside, on June 21, 2024. Photo by Ashley Morales.
In 2025, the organization will celebrate its 40th anniversary while reaching its 1,000th home milestone.
“That’s 1,000 families that are anchors here in our community,” Sutton said. “As we continue to see a rising cost of homes and livable wage, what’s exciting for us is that these people have a locked-in zero-interest mortgage, so they’re able to plan for the future in a much different way.”
In addition to the milestones coming in 2025, Habitat Tampa Bay Gulfside is set to gain national visibility through a collaboration with HGTV’s 100 Day Dream Home. The episode will feature one of Habitat’s families and document the process of building their dream home within 100 days.

Behind the scenes of Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside’s upcoming episode of HGTV’s “100 Day Dream Home.” Photo provided.
Sutton said Habitat builds a typical home in 16-20 weeks, so the 100-day goal is “not too far off” the affiliate’s typical schedule. What is unique is the opportunity to dispel some misconceptions about the nonprofit’s program.
“Mika and Brian, who are the cohosts of the show, really wanted to use this as an opportunity to help folks understand that the homes are not free,” Sutton said. “The homeowners are going through education, they’re purchasing the home and they’re contributing to the tax base.”
Looking ahead, Habitat Tampa Bay Gulfside will expand its impact by fostering new corporate partnerships and engaging donors who share its vision for affordable housing solutions. With a legacy of service and an ambitious agenda for growth, Habitat for Humanity Tampa Bay Gulfside is set to make 2025 a transformative year – not just for the organization, but for more than 1,000 families who will achieve stability through homeownership.
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